Hello, dear friends.

Yesterday, Jason had his last radiation treatment on his spine, and as of today, we’ve transitioned his care to Hospice Austin.

His stomach cancer has turned aggressive, and further treatments don’t offer enough benefits to justify their toll on his body. That’s why, in consultation with his excellent, caring oncologist, we chose not to continue treatment. Hospice Austin is a wonderful organization, committed to optimizing Jason’s quality of life here at our home.

Grief is natural and appropriate when someone goes into hospice care. At the same time, we’re still enjoying life together. Jason is ALIVE, and sometimes when I struggle to keep my heart in the present, I remind myself, “He’s not dying today.” Will there come a day when that’s not true? Yes—and that’s the case for ALL of us. In the meantime, we LIVE. We laugh; we grieve; we prepare for deeper grief; we pray for a miracle. We can do all of those things at once.

We’ve felt so loved through this journey, and we know you’re going to care for us in this new phase too—thank you! Below are some practical ways you can help us.

GOFUNDME: Jason’s amazing workplace, Carollo Engineers, launched a GoFundMe for our kids’ education and/or living expenses as they enter adulthood. All donations will be placed in a special account for the kids, and we’re SO grateful! https://gofund.me/f0d35137



GENERAL IDEAS/GUIDELINES: Check out https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WiLgSJvJqMo4c3L6mOZozUmlAkWqZ6iXN1P_EpV8fY0/edit?usp=sharing for meal ideas, our fave Starbucks drinks, visiting guidelines, and more.

MEAL CALENDAR: Thank you to my friend Deanne for putting together a meal calendar. We aren’t asking for many meals right now, but we’ll update the calendar as we need more. If it’s full, please check later, or just reach out to me directly to see if we could use a meal. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4CA5AC2FA2FBCE9-54497782-anderson 

OTHER TYPES OF HELP: If you’d like to help in other practical ways (like tasks around the house), please reply to this email so I can reach out if I need anything.

A couple of final details:

I won’t be able to respond to all comments, emails, texts, etc., but I read and deeply appreciate them. Also, we feel at peace with this hospice decision and the medical care Jason has received, so please refrain from sharing ideas for medical or alternative treatments. Thank you for understanding.

We’re so deeply grateful for your continued prayers and support. We feel ridiculously loved, and we love you all!

Beth and Jason

You're always welcome to look at past emails here. Just be aware this site includes my author and narrator newsletters as well as my emails about Jason; I can't split them up!